Caged Birds Don't Sing
by button-pusher
Summary: The Vampire King got himself a new servant. A pretty human girl. The rumor going around is that he's in love with the thing. Too bad she's miserable in this place and more than willing to use that boy's love for her to her full advantage. Especially if that means escaping. If only he made it easy to run away.
1. The New Servant

**Yet again, another Fiolee story.**

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It was storming the night Aaa's beloved hero was taken away, kidnapped and sent to the world of shadows and evil. The one that I begrudgingly called home. Words spoken in defiance and screams of terror echoed in the forest where she was torn from her familiar, and in the blink of a moment, the last human known to exist disappeared in the dead of night.

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Mother brought her findings back to the house, dragging it behind her like a rag doll. Said doll was a tangled mass of blonde strands that extended to the floor and that shielded her face. She suffered from deep purple and black bruises on her exposed skin and wounds that were licked clean of blood by a hungry monster. Mother herself donned a few bruises and a deep slash on her left wrist, although not nearly as severe as the doll she held by the arm.

"It's a _human_. A true delicacy." I looked her over. Mother changed the girl out of her original clothes and into a peasant dress topped with an apron. The typical uniform of a servant in this world. Then the doll craned her head back, letting the hair slip past her face, revealing her worn and torn features. She appeared naive, yet experienced, and wise, yet impulsive. Such contradicting features all mashed into one _human_ face. She must have been through hell and back within the span of just a few hours by the looks of it. Despite it all, she still appeared to have the innocence of a child.

Her weary eyes gazed longingly at me, pleading for freedom and salvation. At this point, I probably look like a savior compared to my mother. It's a shame I am not. "Its skin is so sweet and salty. It's delicious." I watched the doll cringe as my mother slid her tongue across her cheek. "Here, taste." Her blue eyes widened in shock, but she bit her tongue back.

I made sure to take her hand gently, and I slipped one of her fingers in my mouth, careful not to pierce the skin with a fang. Her pulse quickened, and I could hear her gasp as I wiggled my tongue around. She had the guts to withdraw her finger, and even worse than refusing me, speaking out of turn.

"Don't do that! It's..._provocative_." She squeaked and blushed an attractive scarlet. It was kinda amusing, however, mother did not think the same. Her face contorted into that of a terrifying wolf as she dropped the doll's arm, letting her fall to the floor with a thud. Then she knelt over in her ridiculous heels and whacked the girl's head like a disciplined child. The girl yelped, and I couldn't help but pity her. But I wasn't about to become soft over some measly human girl. I let mother continue.

"Quiet, you!" Mother growled and flashed a nightmarish glare, "You are now the property of the Vampire King. He will do as he pleases with you, got that?" The little blonde nodded. "That includes _feeding_. And, well, _you know_." Mother cackled. The girl reluctantly nodded, smothering her face in the fabric of the apron mother dressed her in. "Well, then. It's all yours, Marshall. A gift from your dear mother. Receive it." I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic when she bowed but I didn't dwell on it too long. "I shall take my leave now." And mother floated off down the hall and through the door to her quarters.

A minute passed, and the blonde deemed it safe enough to gather the strength to stand. She swayed and held fast to whatever she could grab to keep her balance. She whipped her head back, moving the hair from her face, and her eyes locked on me with a new fury and curiosity. Observing, examining, calculating and making inferences based off what she was beholding. She took one quick glance into my eyes, and she started crying. So my new servant and I stood there, still and quiet with the exception of her light sobs echoing off the walls she held herself to.

"You know I'm not going to do that..._you know_ stuff, right? I'm not a complete scumbag."

"Not if your mother has anything to say about it, _Vampire King_." She spat bitterly. She refused to look me in the eye after that and clung to the wall as if it would protect her from the incredible evil that I emitted from my eye sockets. Glob, I was already getting frustrated. _Okay, Marshall, you can handle this in one of three ways._ _One, you kill her right on the spot. Suck her dry and toss the body out for the wolves. Or two, you could crack down the whip, show her you're not someone to be sassy with, BUT spare her life. Or three...just be _nice_. I told myself just a second ago I wouldn't go soft_ but... I caught a glimpse of her tear stained face._ Fine, I'll choose three._

"Marshall."

"Huh?" Her head perked up.

"It's Marshall. Marshall Lee." I groaned. "What's your name?"

"Fi-Fionna." She stuttered between sobs.

"Fionna, eh?" I smirked. The Fionna human nodded her head and shuffled her feet further away from me. "Am I really _that scary_? C'mon, stop your crying."

"I'm not scared of _you_! I-I just want to see my sister again." Her eyes were tearing up, "I want to go _home_."

"Listen, I can't do that for you-"

"I want to go _home_!"

"-but I can propose a few offers." She eyed me suspiciously.

"Like what?"

"Well, I could kill you right now." I relayed the previous idea from earlier to her. But she shook her head furiously, "Or I could bite you and turn you into a vampire. Maybe make you my wife." Her cheeks blossomed in a brilliant red and she shook her head once again. "Or you could stay here with me and serve me like you're supposed to."

"You're really not giving me a choice..." Fionna mumbled.

"Well, the killing thing was harsh, I'll admit that...but you don't want to be my wife?" I shot her a wink, watching her beautiful red blood rush to her cheeks instantly. "I know how to treat a woman nicely." The blonde lowered her head, pouting, "I'd say I'm pretty handsome too, wouldn't you?"

"Let's just say you weren't what I pictured when that wench said she was taking me to the Vampire King." I got the pleasure of witnessing her flash a coy smile behind the cloth she held so close to her face.

I pinched her nose, "There's the smile I've been waiting for." Her smile grew and something panged in the empty cavity of my chest._ Oh, glob, Marshall, you're going soft for the servant._

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I treated her with the utmost kindness. Her kidnapping must have traumatized her already, and mother gave her enough hell around the mansion. So the first day after her arrival, I made her breakfast in the morning, much to her surprise (and mine), and ate with her at the scarcely used kitchen table.

"So, Fionna, how you feeling?" She shrugged her shoulders. The girl's cuts were beginning to scab but her bruises still decorated her face in dark shades purples and sickly greens. Without her long hair covering her face and tears staining her cheeks, I'd say she was pretty cute. A little plump, but I didn't mind. It was a charming imperfection. Although, my attraction to her could probably be explained by the fact that I had the biology and mentality of hormonal teenage boy.

"C'mon, sit down, girly. I don't bite. Unless you ask." She pursed her lips and reluctantly took a seat in the chair across from me. In front of her was an assortment of red fruits I threw together in a bowl early this morning. It was the closest to a breakfast food she would get in this house so if she didn't like it, tough shit, she'd have to deal with it. She cautiously picked up a strawberry and sniffed it before nibbling at the tip. She deemed it safe and stuffed the rest of it in her mouth, picking up another repeat the cycle. "Now, Fionna, we have to talk about your job as my _servant._" The girl froze mid bite.

"Y-yes?" Her muscles tensed and another strawberry slowly fell back into the bowl. _I might as well have a little fun with this._ _  
_

"Well, as you know, I'm a vampire...and I need blood every now and then..." She was biting her lip profusely, "And, well, you know...I'm kinda hungry right now..." Her face turned a milky white and her body shook in terror. I ignored her for a moment and picked up one of her strawberries. My eyes scanned over her as I put the fruit to my lips and seductively ran my tongue over the tip. Her lip quivered, and the smell of adrenaline pouring into her blood filled my nostrils. She watched me suck the red from the fruit and toss it back in the bowl. "Ahh, that's better."

"Eh?"

"Anyway, back to what I was saying. Your duties; I want you to jam with me." Her eyebrows twitched as she shot me a quizzical look. "I want you to chill with me and jam with me on my bass. You know, just sit there and listen or something."

"What?" I swear, if her jaw dropped any lower, it would've hit the table.

"Man, are you deaf? I want you to _chill_. With _me_. Oh, and maybe we can watch some horror films, too." I floated in circles around her little confused head and twirled one of her blonde locks around my finger, "You can snuggle up next to me when you get scared. I won't mind at all." Fionna stared back down at the grey strawberry contaminating her bowl of perfectly good red fruit. She shook her head then glanced up at me.

"Wh-what are you- _Who_ are you? I mean-," Her face was turning an attractive scarlet again and I loved it. I loved how her body reacted so intensely around me, and I just soaked it in. I actually had to refrain myself from licking her cheek to get a taste of that beautiful crimson. "Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you were supposed to be evil...but you don't really _seem_ like it."

"Evil is a strong word, girly." I poked the tip of her nose, chuckling as she went cross-eyed for a split second. "I can be a gentleman when I wish. But I save that side for the ladies I _like_." The expression drained from her face and she nodded in understanding.

"Oh."

"You know, I haven't really interacted with a female besides my mother in well over a couple of centuries." Fionna absorbed the statement silently. There was a pause in the conversation and I just felt compelled to ask, "Sooo...wanna kiss?"

"No thank you. I'm fine."

"Then let's go to my room and you can listen to me play. Bring the fruit, I might want a snack." I took her hand in mine and gently tugged her up and away from the kitchen

"O-Okay!" The blonde squeaked and snatched the fruit. It amazed me that she actually let me hold her hand the entire way there. Some of the other servants around the house eyed me suspiciously. I could've cared less. So I was soft for the girl, big deal. I'm the Vampire King, so I can do what I want.

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**I hope this is good, please tell me what you think! And thanks for reading! **


	2. Fionna the Firebrand

**Man, this took a while. Sorry you guys, I've been swamped with work lately.**

**And thank you for everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it. The positive feedback always keeps me going so again, thank you muchly!**

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Fionna was such a treasure to have in the mansion, I was almost grateful of mother for gifting me with her. The first few days after her arrival, the girl smacked on of our male staff in the face with a cast-iron frying pan, walked in on one of mother's many affairs, and wandered around the mansion like a lost puppy. I tried drawing her a map, but I wasn't exactly known for my artistic abilities, and she wasn't known for deciphering gibberish on sheets of printer paper. But by the fourth day, she was able to find her way to her room from the kitchen, and to my room from hers which was an accomplishment in and of itself.

During those following weeks, we still had our daily jam sessions, and she was a lovely companion, even if she cringed at my touch. Even if she denied it, I could tell she was warming up to me. No matter how slow, it was still progress and some was better than none at this point. Fionna drove mother up the wall, and I adored every minute of it. She was a feisty little thing, even when mother had her bleeding on the floor, she could muster a snarky comment that would earn her another blow to the head. For weeks the two fought like cat and dog while I mediated from afar, only to intervene when Fionna's life was hanging my a thin thread.

One particular morning, I woke up to the endearing sound of mother shrilling at the top of her undead lungs. I flung myself out of bed with a sigh and made my way down the corridor to mother's chamber. Now, the night prior, mother found an excuse to rip at Fionna's flesh and lick the blood out of her long blonde locks. So I was not surprised when I stepped, or rather floated, into mother's room, and saw an assortment of dirty feminine hygiene products plastered to the wall around mother's bed. Directly above the headboard was a sticky note that read "SUCK ON THESE".

I cackled the entire way following mother down the steps into the kitchen where Fionna was preparing breakfast. Sweet little Fionna put an innocent smile on her face and greeted us both pleasantly.

"Hello, Miss Abadeer, Marshall." She nodded. "Would you like some breakfast?" Mother was seething as she sat in one of the wooden chairs. Her controlled breaths were heavy and deep in an attempt to prevent herself from strangling the little human.

"I'll take something, doll." I drifted over to the stove next to the maid and pinched her chin.

"Then sit down." She growled quietly and plopped a heap of red velvet pancakes on my plate. "Miss Abadeer, would you like something?" Her voice returned to its high-pitched sweetness.

"Yes, please." Mother breathed. I watched the girl snatch a paper towel and discretely reach under her dress behind mother's back and wipe her crotch. She placed the cloth on the plate alongside a slice of blackened toast and dropped it in front of mother. I couldn't stop laughing but mother didn't find it as amusing. Fionna had an oddly content look on her paling face. I quickly took to the girl's side, wrapping an arm around her before mother lunged in for the kill.

"Hey, now, now, mother." I started between chuckles, "No need to get worked up over a joke." Seeing that the Vampire King wasn't going to let her murder the human, she stomped out of the house, slamming the door as she went. Fionna shook my arm off and immediately hugged herself. Her back was turned to me while she nervously paced the perimeter of the kitchen, but I could see her eyes clouding up and hear the hiccups starting. So I quickly piped up, "You know, I admire you." She snapped back to reality and glanced at me with reddened eyes. "You're pretty cool." I could see a smile threatening to break her tight-lipped scowl. "I like your style, Fionna."

"Th-thanks, I guess." The blonde stuttered and shrugged.

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I never assigned Fionna chores; never forced her to offer her neck to me or the treasure between her legs. She made it difficult without even trying, but unlike mother, I had self control. I stuck to store-bought packets of animal blood and the use of my right hand which was sufficient enough for me. I only asked that she look me in the eye when we spoke and keep me company every now and then.

But after the incident, mother gave Fionna a list of chores that extended to the floor as a sort of punishment. Our daily jam sessions were usually cut short, otherwise mother would start beating the girl again. But Fionna hadn't lost the war just yet. Since the incident, mother never ate breakfast at the mansion anymore. She chose to go out to breakfast with one of her many lovers instead as long as it meant avoiding humiliation from a little human girl who _she_ brought into our home. That meant I got the mornings with Fionna without any disruption.

Today, she said she wanted to go home, so I asked her to make her something that reminded her of home. And she made something called bacon pancakes. She also made me a side of those red velvet pancake things she threw together yesterday just for the red aspect. I watched her place the plate down in front of me, but she returned to the counter to hover over her own plate and shovel a forkful into her mouth. I kicked one of the chairs back and gestured for her to sit. With a hesitated swallow, she nodded and sat in the chair furthest from me.

She didn't speak to me much, but I didn't press either. So we sat there and ate in silence.

But since today was also laundry day, I probably wouldn't get much more time with Fionna. She was our only female servant that didn't look over 60 to 1000 years old, and her young hands and body were not handicapped by arthritis (it also helped that she actually had hands to work with), so mother assigned her chores that a young woman _should_ be capable of doing. But by the looks of it, the girl has never washed a single article of clothing in her entire life.

I watched from afar as the girl fiddled with the washboard, flipping it in all different directions in the bucket in an attempt to figure out how it worked. One of our maids, a sweet old zombie woman named Isabelle, offered to help and to teach the human girl how to use the tool properly. Since poor Isabelle lost all her teeth throughout her many undead years, Fionna seemed less intimidated and accepted her offer graciously.

Isabelle wasn't the best at explaining things due to, as stated above, her lack of teeth, so her calm and soothing words ultimately fell to deaf ears. Minutes passed without a single piece of clothing properly washed so Fionna threw the thing across the room, much to sweet Isabelle's dismay, and scrubbed the fabric by hand. The girl was soaked to the bone in soapy water that caused her dress to hang lower with unwanted weight, but she didn't seem to care anymore. With a grumble, she tossed one of mother's..._explicit looking_ undergarments in the pile of freshly washed clothes and moved on to the next. Another pair of _explicit looking_ underwear.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity so I silently snuck out from my perch and clung to the ceilings. The blonde was none the wiser and continued dunking the stringy fabric into the bucket, grumbling all the while. The elder woman beside her watched with a knowing smile on her worn face. I stopped when I could hear the pulsing in her neck and the quiet curses she breathed under her nose.

"Careful with those, they're mine." I whispered hot in her ear. Her arms shot to her sides, knocking the bucket of soapy water over on the tile floor and on her dress in the process. I let out a low chuckle, expecting her to join me, but there was nothing. Frustrated tears prickled her eyes as she stomped out of the laundry room and into the kitchen. I followed her close behind.

Now that I think about it, scaring her like that probably wasn't the smartest plan I've come up with. I wanted her to trust me, because, as much as I hated to admit it, I got lonely. Especially growing up with mostly men and old women. I knew I couldn't order the girl to trust me. It was a prize I had to win over time. But I didn't mind, I had plenty. I _was_ immortal after all. It was her I worried about. Mother abused the hell out of her, and I couldn't do much but watch from afar. Was it right for a man to hit a woman? Especially if it was his mother? But was abusing something equivalent to a helpless animal any better?

"Hey, lighten up, babe. It was just a joke." My hand reached out and brushed against her exposed shoulder, but the girl shook it off instantly. "C'mon, girly. You look cold, let's get you a new set of clothes." The girl ignored me and proceeded to snatch a whole roll of paper towels and a bundle of towels below the sink. "Hey, are you even listening to me?" Fionna scurried off to the laundry room again, dumping the towels on the lake that formed on the floor. I wondered if these mood swings are a common trait among female humans or if she was just a special case. If I made her a vampire, would I also lengthen her fuse? "Fionna!" I quickly followed her.

"Leave me alone!" She snapped over her shoulder. "Your mother is going to kill me already, so just go away and let me do my work!"

"Mother's not going to kill you. You belong to the _king_, not to _her_." Her brows furrowed as she threw layer after layer of cloth over the water and soap suds.

"Yeah, well, the _king_ lets his mother step all over him and his belongings so does it really matter?" Her comment felt like a ray of sunlight to the chest.

"What was that?" I growled lowly. But the girl didn't seem the least bit scared of _my_ temper. The fire in her eyes burned brighter than ever as she ground her teeth at me and replied, "You heard me."

"You're really starting to piss me off, girly."

"I don't care. I'm going to die here anyway so it doesn't matter if you kill me now or your mother does sometime in the future." I slithered my way to her face, breathing heavy in fury. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my hand around her slender throat and squeeze, just to release some steam. But I knew I'd regret it, so I settled for digging my fingernails into the meaty flesh of my palms.

"You better watch what you're saying." My face inched closer. "I have a hot temper. And let me remind you exactly _what_ you are in this mansion." Our noses were practically touching. "You're a _woman_. I'm a man. You're _my_ servant and I can do what I like with you. So I suggest-" And in an instant, my neck was craned to the side and the cheek meat faintly stung with a bruising kind of pain. I slowly turned back to the blonde. Her lips parted as her eyes drifted down to her open hand.

"I-I didn't mean to! I-I'm sorry!" The girl's eyes were watering as her hands hovered around my red cheek. "I'm not used to men getting so close to me...and yelling at me like that...it was instinct, I swear." She mumbled as if I were going to murder her. And I considered it. Nobody has laid a harmful hand on me in years..._besides my mother._

_Damnit, Marshall, you're such an idiot. _I heaved a sigh,

"It's alright." Fionna stuck her face out toward me and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "What are you doing?"

"You can hit me if you want..." I chuckled and gave her a light pat.

"There."

"That was weak..." The elderly maid watched the scene unfold before her and shot me an incredulous look. But when I returned the gesture with a silent glare, she smiled a knowing, toothless grin.

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**To be completely honest, I don't really like how this chapter turned out. But what do you guys think. I really tried not to make it a filler chapter but I honestly don't know what it is...that's probably not reassuring coming from the author. Maybe I'll fix it up or even scrap it later. I don't know, what do you guys think?**


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